Slow Dancing
by jo1964
Summary: Are Jake and Melissa really over? Or is there a chance for one more slow dance?


Jace sat on the deck overlooking the lake. Muffin, his old gray cat, sat in the chair beside him. The wind whipped up white caps on the water, crashing onto the beach a few feet in front of him. He slowly sipped his drink and ran his hand through his hair; unruly at the best of times, the wind was blowing it into even more of a mess. It felt like a rat's nest.

The weather came on the radio, playing in the house behind him. Storms predicted. High winds and lightning probable. Jace smiled faintly. That certainly fit his mood. And he wasn't getting out in it so he really didn't care.

He got up and walked into the house to turn off the radio and decide what to do for supper. And then he heard it:

_It's late at night and we're all alone_

_With just the music on the radio_

_No one's coming, no one's gonna telephone_

_Just me and you and the lights down low_

_And we're_

_Slow dancing, swaying to the music_

_Slow dancing, just me and my girl_

_Slow dancing, swaying to the music_

_No one else in the whole wide world_

_Just you, girl_

He stopped in his tracks, his eyes wandering around the room. Melissa. Liss. His baby girl. The woman who meant more to him than life itself. She should be here, dancing with him, letting him hold her close as their bodies swayed to the music. He could smell the scent of her shampoo and feel the heat of her body pressed hard against him.

Shaking his head, he shut his eyes tightly, willing the tears not to come. He'd done so well today. Only thought of her a couple hundred times instead of the usual 584.

This was their song. The first one they danced to when they met – and the first one they danced to at their wedding reception. It had seemed to fit them so perfectly.

_And we just flow together when the lights are low_

_Shadows dancing all across the wall_

_The music's playing so soft and slow_

_The rest of the world so far away and small_

_And we're_

_Slow dancing, swaying to the music_

_Slow dancing, just me and my girl_

_Slow dancing, swaying to the music_

_No one else in the whole wide world_

_Hold me, oohhh hold me_

_Don't ever let me go_

The tears escaped as he remembered their promise to always hold each other – to never let go. But Liss was gone. And he was all alone.

Oh, he understood her need to better herself. Her fear of drowning in their little town and never seeing the things she wanted to see or doing the things she wanted to do. But why did that have to exclude him? Had she grown away from him? Was she ashamed of him?

Or was she just afraid he's say "No" if she asked him to go along?

If he was perfectly honest with himself – and these days he usually was – his first reaction would've been "No." He was perfectly happy working on cars at the garage, batting a ball around with the guys on Saturdays and having a beer with his buddies on Friday nights. He was content in their little house by the lake, with their old cat and old truck. Who needed bright lights and big cities? Not him. Not then.

But now… Ask him now, and he'd go in a New York minute. Life without Liss wasn't living – it was just existing. And he wasn't sure how much longer he could take it. Some days he felt like taking his baseball bat and smashing everything. But he didn't. After all, he'd be the one who had to clean it up.

A sound from the deck made him turn around. As the tears continued to roll down his face, he saw Melissa standing in the doorway.

Neither spoke. Slowly, Liss walked to Jace and raised her hand to brush away his tears.

He tried to smile. "What're you doing here?" The hope and fear were evident in his voice.

Watching tears begin to fall from her eyes, he felt her small hands as she placed them on his shoulders. Her voice was unsteady as she said, "Why, I do believe they're playing our song. Are you gonna dance with me?" She couldn't hide the hope and fear from her voice either.

Slowly he wrapped his arms around her waist and they began to sway to the music.

_As we dance together in the dark_

_There's so much love in this heart of mine_

_You whisper to me "Hold me tight"_

_You're the one I thought I'd never find_

_And now we're_

_Slow dancing, swaying to the music_

_Slow dancing, just me and my girl_

_Slow dancing, swaying to the music_

_No one else in the whole wide world_

"What are you doing here, Melissa?"

"Dancing with my husband." She tried to smile, her hand reaching up to brush through his curly hair. "I do believe you're blonder than when I left. You must be out in the sun a lot."

"Not much else to do when I come home. The house is too… empty…"

"It doesn't have to be. Jace, I want to come home."

"There's nothing more I want in this world, baby girl. But I don't want to have to worry that you're gonna get mad or bored or whatever – and take off on me again."

"I will never leave you again. My heart has been so empty since I left. I thought I was happy and doing all the things I wanted. But then I'd see some tall, blond, blue eyed guy and I'd hope it was you… I finally realized all the things I was doing and seeing meant nothing without you."

Jace smiled slowly and lowered his head.

"Welcome home, sweetheart. Welcome home."

_Slow dancing, swaying to the music_

_Slow dancing, just me and my_

_my my my my girl_

_Slow dancing, swaying to the music_

_No one else in the whole wide world_

_Whole wide world_


End file.
